Sebastian Stan is an actor just waiting for the right project to make him a superstar. He’s almost achieved that by simply playing Bucky/The Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It certainly has made him a household name. If he is looking to Monday to expand his reach, he probably should keep looking. That being said, he shines in the movie and hopefully, some casting director will see it and put him in a film project that will make him huge.
Monday finds Stan portraying Mickey, an Athens, Greece-based American DJ who meets Chloe (Denise Gough) while working a gig. He is introduced by his best bud Argyris (Yorgos Pirpassopoulos). The couple hit it off immediately… passionately, emotionally and in every conceivable realm possible. In fact, she is supposed to return to the United States the next morning and winds up moving in with him because there is something about this relationship that feels like it could be something truly special.
Stan sheds his tough-guy persona that is on display as the Winter Soldier and comes at Mickey as a free-loving ex-pat who is enjoying his time in Greece to the fullest. Meanwhile, Chloe has had enough. It has nothing to do with the country. It has everything has to do with her ex, a man who couldn’t have treated her worse psychologically, Christos (Andreas Konstantinou), who seems to loom over this story like a thunderstorm.
The key to Monday working, obviously, is the chemistry between the two leads. Not only is it believable, but it’s also electric hot, explosive even. The problem comes when the couple fights over what seems to be mysterious items that one or the other is unwilling to talk about. On one hand, what do you expect of a relationship that started with a one-night stand in a foreign country? On the other hand, there is potential there and more importantly, Mickey seems like the kind of nice guy who cares and can help her forget about the man, Christos, who she was ready to leave the country over.
Chloe is a lawyer, specializing in immigration issues for Greek folks seeking to come to the United States. She adores her job and now that she has moved in with Mickey, the future in Greece looks pretty bright.
The thing is, there is so much that these two keep from each other that come out over the course of the movie. Often times it feels rather forced and drama for the sake of drama. There are even a few disagreements between the two that get so boisterous and passionate that one wonders why they are even together. They may be couples like that out there who fight like warring factions, but who come together in a passionate embrace that washes away all the troubles. This is that couple.
They have carved a nice life for themselves in Greece and director Argyris Papadimitropoulos (who co-wrote the script with Rob Hayes) has painted a picture of a paradise where the alcohol flows and the good times follow—sometimes even taken way too far. There are not one, but three encounters with the police, nothing serious, but still…
Stan is the draw here. He has movie-star charisma and presence. In terms of his performance, it was spot on and essentially carried the film. Not to take anything away from his co-star, it’s just Stan commands your attention. The actor is fantastic as Bucky in the MCI and we have adored seeing him do his thing in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. But it was extremely brilliant to see him stretch his wings and play a character who could not be further away from his Marvel character. He commands, but with a subtly, that is utterly endearing. One could see why this man would spend the last seven years of his life in Greece. You could also see why Chloe is so drawn to him. Now, it’s not that he doesn’t love America, it is more that he adores his life in Athens. It’s hard to disagree. It’s gorgeous, laid back, and frankly, not here.
His partner in crime (sometimes literally—for example, they ride down the Athens streets naked on a motorbike in one scene… Ooooooh, big trouble!) is a solid match for him chemistry-wise. It is immediate. We can feel and see it when they first meet at that party at the beginning of the film.
Gough is an interesting actress. She plays the role quite elusively at first. Her Chloe is distant, but just ever so slightly approachable to Mickey. There is something eating at her, and we’re not quite sure what it is—until we meet her ex. He is a towering figure and a controlling figure, and one can see why she was drawn to the laid-back (and supremely handsome) charm of Stan’s Mickey.
Monday has something special going for it and that is one can literally feel the celebratory life that these two and much of Athens are living. There is a joy of living that is contagious and comes right through the screen. It’s vivacious and a credit to the director, cinematographer, costumer, and production designer. If Monday finishes and you don’t want to go to Greece on holiday, you’ve missed the true exhilaration of what these two characters have done together for over two hours.
The issue with Monday is the final act. It doesn’t seem to know quite how to wrap things up. Do they live happily ever after? Do they even stay together? None of that is quite clear as the conclusion to the film is abrupt. Sometimes that works with films. Filmmakers love to let you draw your own conclusions. The thing is with a film like this, we wanted answers, not simply a fade to black after an explosive moment. That final shot has them together, side-by-side. But are they literally?
Grade: B-